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released from rug jail

I was with a relative trying to think through her master bedroom. She found a paint color she loved, but she was stuck on what to do with the bed.

She has a rug that she was trying to work with and couldn’t find bedding that she liked that would “go” with the rug. I asked her if she even liked the rug. She didn’t, but felt like she needed to keep it because…….{lots of different reasons}
What if…

we got rid of the rug? What do you love in this room? She showed me this picture. This is so much more her. Her personality is not the rug, it’s this picture. She was so cute: “I can take the rug out! That’s it!” She has a whole new inspiration for her room makeover and is actually excited about it. It was like she was released from rug jail. Do you have something you don’t like that you are trying to decorate around because:

it was expensive

it was on sale

it has been passed down in the family

it was a gift

it has memories attached to it

yada yada yada…

What if you got rid of it {or even moved it out if you can’t get rid of it yet} and decorated around something you loved?Have you ever been in rug jail or tried to decorate around something you didn’t even like?

30 comments:

Melissa you are so funny! I have a closet full of decor that I buy and stuff in the closet because I'm scared to decorate with it. I buy it for various reasons, it's on sale, I like the way it look's, etc. I would love to bring my decor out of the closet, but I'm stuck. Curtains, barn star's, towels, shelves, pillows, that is just to name a few. Man if I could only afford a interior decorator. I think I should just quit buying and problem solved. Love your blog!

My paint color? Can that apply? (We're about to move, so I won't have to endure it much longer!) The 2 1/2 years I've lived in my current house I've put up with my yellow paint color even though it is way too bright. I (and my husband) didn't want to have to move all of our furniture and cover our freshly redone hardwood floors. Looking back, I should've just taken one weekend and done it!

I'm having this problem...or rather dilemna right now too. When we moved into our house I painted our dining room the most gorgeous color of warm red....but now....I'm not sure I'm in love with it anymore. I like it...but I'm really liking all the cool, neutral colors too....hmm...what to do?

Hi Melissa- Yes I have been in - not rug jail, but Piano jail. 25 years of marriage a piano handed down from my husband's family and nobody plays. What I could do with the space if we sold it. I am trying and I think I am finally going to get my way

Nice to find your blog. I love it! My mom was in decorating jail for many, many years because of all the "trinkets" my father brought home from overseas. Temple dogs, 3 foot tall ceramic elephants, Turkish rugs, Excalibur swords with the shield, a globe bar, etc, etc, etc. He finally brought home so much that she had to give him an office for all his weird crap.

how about most of my decor! LOL....I'm trying to make the switch from Primitive Country....to something more fresh and new!!...I'm having a hard time letting go of some of my prim things, because I loved them at one time ♥

I would have to say its paint jail, the guy at the store said the paint in the kitchen would match the brick, it does. But it looks like newborn baby poop green. I hate it! And the living room way was supposed to be country barn red, well it turned out eggplant purple. HOW in the worldd??? So this summer (cause hubby says we have to wait for better weather) I am going to paint end of discussion. Now what to do with the purple/eggplant sofas his Mom gave us? LOL

My MIL got me these little vegtables that had faces and arms and legs and stuff... to go in my kitchen that was COMPLEATLY Americana themed... I ended up setting them on top of my microwave (it was mounted in cabinate,and had about a 2 inch 'hang over' that they set on). Over about 9 months, they all fell, and broke.... shucks! But, they were up there, and she saw them which was good enough, and even my husband backed me up! I can't really help that he likes to slam the door shut and sometimes that would make them fall... :)

Yes, I have definately been in rug jail, as a matter of fact, it was a persian rug, as well. I used it on top of the carpet under the dining table, (well, it had to be out, it was a gift!). And then I stored it under the bed for years. I even had two of them! One year, I said that's it, I sold one at a garage sale for $100 and sent the other one to Habitat for Humanity, it was valued at $2500. But I could not live with it or sell it. And to be honest with you I still have another one in my attic. I just can't say 'no' Ha!

In my first apartment, I had to decorate around stuff I didn't like simply because I couldn't afford anything else. Sometimes it challenges you to make the room your own in spite of the eyesore, but it is a relief to decorate with something you like.

I just have a very large bedroom that I am trying to decorate around:( It is huge and I do not know where to begin. I did buy a beautiful rug from Home Goods but the bedding is an issue for me. I might blog about it and get some ideas from all you great girls.

Oh yes, the last few years I've been getting rid of stuff I don't really like. I realized I used to buy home accessories only because they were the right color! Until I started blog surfing, I never realized I could just spray paint the stuff. I would also buy fabric because I loved the design or colors then never put it up because it didn't go with my decor. I've hung on to some of it for years, now I'm letting go. Next up is the cumbersome teak TV cabinet in the basement, along with the futon!

YEP! Another sofa jail here. I call it the "Elmo" couch. It's a huge red sectional that my husband insisted we have from in our last home's gameroom. Guess what? No gameroom in the new house and he refuses to let it go because it was so expensive. Aaah! HELP!I dream of lovely light slip covered sofas. I like your friend's inspiration picture. It says "fresh" to me, while the rug said "tired". Love your blog!

Normally, I don't care for rugs like that either, unless their in a library (which I don't have), BUT...I got a Horchow catalog in the mail this weekend (never ordered from there), and it had a beautiful tapestry duvet cover & shams/pillows by Ralph Lauren. That sunflower picture is gorgeous. Sounds like she'll have a cheerful room once it's done.

Rug jail :). Love it! And yes. What if your rug jail involves an entire level of things? Rug, curtains, paint, pillows, etc. Getting rid of everything is a bit unreasonable, but I'm ready to do just that! It was my own fault for trying to save money when we moved here 3 yrs ago by decorating around pillows and rugs in the first place.

I have a couple pieces of furniture that I need to move along..they aren't that old, they worked in my old house, this house is too small. My beautiful desk suite and our entertainment unit. We paid a lot for them, but the desk, especially, is causing me a lot of stress..its too big for the space it's in and I just can't work 'around' it. Its taken me a year to decide to sell them. I just don't want to 'give them away'..I paid a ton for the desk suite..so mentally I have let go of them, financially I have not. Help!